Gender practice essay question

How is gender portrayed in the extract of Hustle through:

Camera work

Mise-en-scene

Sound

& Editing?

In the extract of Hustle the theories of Mulvey (1975), Mackillon (2002) and Gauntlett (2002) are both supported and disrupted through the media language present in the clip. I will now explore this in more detail with reference to how; camera work, mise-en-scene, sound and editing contributes to constructions of gender representation.

The opening shot is a low angle medium close up of a middle-aged male wearing an expensive suit. The camera angle gives him masculine status as it makes him powerful which could fit Gauntlet’s 2002 theory however, the way he is standing is not a masculine pose which means his character also fits Mackillon’s theory as he is looking more feminine. In the background there is a younger female character shown coming up the stairs to the clothing shop, the positioning seems to support traditional gender roles as she appears lower down, and therefore less important, than the lead male character. The opening scene is accompanied by non-diegetic music that changes when the women comes into shot, it is quite feminine and it contributes to sexualising the female character in a way that fits Mulvey’s 1975 theory. Furthermore, it contributes to de-masculinising the male character to a point where he almost appears camp, which also fits with the dress shop setting and his job. The shots are linked together with a sound bridge and continuity editing is used to not distract the viewer.

The next shot is a high angle over the shoulder shot where the man is informing a customer on the price of a dress she is wanting to purchase. The camera angle makes the man look dominant in this situation, because he is towering over the woman. Also, when he asks “A little too rich for madam?” he is presented as quite patronising. The middle-aged woman disrupts Laura Mulveys theory as she is not being sexualised. Her age suggests that she is a housewife who typically stays at home looking after her kids. When she says “I’ll come back later’ this suggests that she is not rich enough to afford the dress, unlike the younger woman. The sound bridge from the previous scene becomes quieter, and the main sound on screen is the diegetic dialogue. Because the sexualised music is more subtle when the middle-aged woman is on screen, this suggests that the young woman is the only woman being sexualised. This supports Laura Mulveys theory of women being used as ‘erotic objects of desire’.

Once the middle-aged woman leaves the shop, the man focuses his attention on the young woman browsing through the dresses. First noticing her engagement ring gives suggestions about the mans sexuality. The way he jogs over to her eagerly shows that he is significantly more interested in what she has to offer than when he was talking to the middle aged woman. An eye line match shot is used when the young woman is glancing up at the man. This changes to a high angle over the shoulder shot where the man is looking down at the woman, which connotes power and dominance. This shows support for Mulveys theory.

In the next shot, a tilt shot is being used to show off the woman's figure when she tries on a dress. This shows support for Mulveys theory. The theory is also evidenced by the woman exclaiming “Oh yes!” repeatedly, as this can be seen as a sexualised action. The man is still seen as the dominant one as he is taller than the female, so he is able to look down on her. However, this disrupts Mackillions theory, as the man is not the person being sexualised in this situation. He also is not presenting himself as image conscious, as his body language connotes confidence and professionalism. His eyes appear to glance down to look at her bum, which gives further suggestions about his sexuality. Continuity editing is used all throughout to show the audience that the shots run smoothly after each other to show that the story is progressing.